Home prices on the island of Oahu fell on average by 8.8% last month, the steepest decline in recent memory. The fall compared prices of sales of existing single family homes on Oahu for June 2008 with the same period…

Here's the link to the slideshow.…

Nice to read that crime in Hawaii declined last year for the fourth year running. I hope this holds up to the economic stresses now coming into play in Hawaii due to airline closures, cruise ship departures, and other sundry…

And more somber news. The interim CFO of Mesa Airlines stepped down yesterday. Mesa is the parent of go!, the interisland carrier that helped drive Aloha out of business with low, low fares. There have been many questions about Mesa's…

Kailua is often touted as the ultimate scenic day-trip from Waikiki, a lovely beach town with stunning endless sands, no (well, one) high rises, lots of bike paths, windsurfing, bird sanctuaries -- you get the picture. Too bad that Kailua…

Waikiki is called crowded, wonderful, and all sorts of other adjectives. Lately, it's being called a new word by residents who live there -- dangerous. A rise of high-profile, seemingly random low-grade violence has roiled the community enough to cause…

Thinking of buying a second home on Oahu or moving to the island? Might want to check this site first, courtesy of scientists at University of Hawaii. Beachfront is getting a whole lot cheaper -- if you're time horizon…

As the rest of the country remains seized in a credit death grip, the Waikiki upscale condo market appears to be chugging along nicely. Here's news that the latest Waikiki luxe high-rise, the Allure, just got a cool $170 million…

You just can't make this kind of stuff up. The City and County of Honolulu cracks down on "Superbad" release that contains horrifically awful fake Hawaii ID. Ripped from the shelves of WalMart, no less. No fun allowed in paradise.…

Crazy Japanese billionaire Gensiro Kawamoto is pushing ahead with his plans to turn one of Hawaii's super luxe nabes (home to Hollywood supermogul David Geffen, among others) into his own personal housing project for people of Native Hawaiian descent. So…

Here's an article about the indictment for manslaughter of a former Hawaii high school football star in the unprovoked beating death of a visitor who had been accepted to the University of Hawaii's Law School. Granted, this beating happened in…

Norwegian Cruise Lines announced that it was moving the Pride of Hawaii to Europe. People holding reservations on this boat can switch to one of the other two NCL Hawaii vessels for their future cruises (and get a $50 credit)…

Anyone who has driven around Waimea Bay couldn't have helped but notice the massive chain-link fence with thick metal rings setting the eastern cliff off from the road. But manmade measures apparently cannot hold back the gods. A rockslide…

Pacific Business News in Honolulu has a piece detailing the woes of a top-Google ranked listing, Top-10-Hawaii.com / Hawaii Travel Network. This was a popular online travel site and referral network that sold all sorts of stuff -- cruises on…

In its Sunday edition, the Honolulu Advertiser has a big breakdown of the ongoing to $2.3 million refurbishment of the Honolulu International Airport. The refurb is much needed. The airport is well known for subpar infrastructure. It uses 1970s-era shuttle…

That whistling sound on Kahala Avenue? Local real estate prices dropping even faster as the NYT, the style guide for the liberal monied set, picks up on the wacky doings in Kahala of Gensiro Kawamoto. The eccentric Japanese slumlord who…

In Hawaii, Obama Mania is hitting a fevered pitch as the local favorite -- he spent a number of years on Oahu and attended high school at Punahou -- starts his sprint for the White House. At Hawaiirama, I aim…

First Outrigger pushed through its massive Beach Walk Project, now nearly finished, in western Waikiki. Now Starwood is planning a similar sized renovation and rejuvenation of its four major Waikiki properties, the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, the Sheraton…

For a long time a number of developers have threatened to turn the gorgeous bluffs overlooking Sunset Beach and much of the North Shore of Oahu into gated gentleman farmer communities, accompanied by the requisite super-upscale mini-malls for the latte…

We've heard that the Xmas sales on luxury goods will be insane but this is the best discount on pricey Prada gear we've ever seen.…

The Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival (or LVHIFF) is one of my favorite things about living in Hawaii. Not only does it bring wonderful, world-class entertainment to the islands, but it also promotes cultural understanding between different countries. A…

Call it the curse of the "Lost". During seasonal filming on Oahu, the cast has endured a home invasion, speeding tickets, stalkers, DUI busts. Now Evangeline Lilly's rented home in Kailua burns to the ground! The Honolulu Advertiser has a…

My favorite way to travel to and from New York is on the non-stop Continental flight from Newark International to Honolulu. It's a daily departure. In fact, I've found Newark to be the most convenient way in and out of…

You've probably already read about the accident, which happened on Dec. 2, if you arrived at this post. If not, quick recap.The catamaran Na Hoku II was sailing off Waikiki in fairly heavy winds with dozens of tourists aboard for…

The Honolulu Advertiser has a good article covering the first instance of a Hawaii upscale hotel hiring foreigh workers. The Fairmont Orchid, on the Big Island, hired these workers to ease an acute labor shortage. They have 100 staff positions…

If you live in Hawaii, you know that feeling. Traffic jams all over Oahu? Too many office parties and neighborhood parades? Time to get out. One thing I love about Kayak is it makes it SO easy to look for…

After years in the making, the Pacific Aviation Museum opens its doors in two weeks. The museum will be chock full of goodies for history and World War II bufffs. If you like the National Air and Space Museum in…

Anyone who’s been stuck at home on a rainy day with an antsy toddler knows what a wonderful, climate-controlled, family-friendly oasis Kahala Mall is. In lieu of the shopping center’s usual Toddler Time activities, there’s a whole slate of children’s…

Props to my good friend Lesa Griffith, who is also a lifestyle editor at the Honolulu Advertiser, for this solid piece in NYT Travel Mag covering Oahu. A good read for anyone coming to Oahu soon. One caveat --…

We're still all sorting out what went wrong with Oahu's emergency response during the quake and it appears there was plenty (even though the quake did no real damage on Oahu). On that day, someone in my family was ill…

One of the best things about living in Hawaii is being in close proximity to the fabulous Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival (or LVHIFF). Of course, even for those who don't live nearby, it's a terrific reason to come…

Toast is an ultra-hip event planning and graphic design company created by two University of Hawaii at Manoa Architecture alumni: Michelle Kaneko and Jeremy Shoda. As students, Kaneko and Shoda were in charge of planning socials for the Architecture department,…

I spoke to Cade Watanabe from Unite Here Local 5 this afternoon about the ongoing contract negotiations affecting the four Sheraton hotels in Waikiki and the Hilton Hawaiian Village. These are some of the largest hotels in Hawaii and they…

Well, we can't really sell any until we know who our readers are and what they are thinking. Please click on this link and complete the survey from our advertising reps and back-end helpers galore, Federated Media. It's a fairly…

A few select tidbits from around the web. * No Kidding! Dept. : Latest issue of Modern Bride mag sez Hawaii tops for honeymooners...again. Doh! * Hot! Hot! Hot Dept.: Travel & Leisure humorist visits HAVO, chickens out at Pu'u…

When people hear that I often fly back to New York City, they all remark on how long a trip that must be. And it is, roughly air miles each way. But for some reason most of them don't seem…

A friend who works closely with some of the film production in the islands told me something very interesting the other day -- which has nothing to do with Hawaii except that it pertains to "Lost", the show filmed here…